1. The Hunt for Digital Talent
David Edmundson-Bird
Principal Lecturer in Digital & Social
Media Comms at MMU
Manchester Metropolitan University

2. The Hunt for Digital Talent
• Agenda
– Who am I?
– The specific problems facing those recruiting for
digital talent in the North West
– The key issues in the areas where the talent is
being curated
– The benefits and drawbacks of initiatives to deal
with the talent curation problem
– The risks faced by businesses that do not respond
to the talent curation problem

3. Who am I?
• Principal Lecturer in Digital & Social Media
Comms at MMU
• Academic Credentials
– Programme Director for MSc Digital Marketing, MSc
Multi-Channel Retailing, PG Cert Digital Comms
Management
– Founder – Agency Life Programme
– Research background in AI early 90s
• Commercial Background
– Started Manchester’s 2nd web design agency in 1995
– Chief Learning Architect at Academee 1999 - 2002

4. SPECIFIC PROBLEMS FACING THOSE
RECRUITING FOR DIGITAL TALENT

5. Problem 1: The End of Recession*
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
18000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Vacancies
Candidates
*Not actual data: for display purposes only

6. Problem 2: The End of Handouts
• Regime change in 2010 = end to government
subsidy for training
• “Is there a grant or fund I can access for this?”
• Did NW digital creative sector get hooked on
handouts?
• Why should The State pay for your staff to be
trained just so that you can make money?

7. Problem 3: The BBC
• Arrival of Media City
• A genuine belief that “they will steal all of the
best people”
– This did not happen

8. Problem 4: Invisibility
• “You’ve never heard of us?”

9. Problem 5: Cannibalization
• Digital Manchester/NW is a village
• The best (in fact all) candidates merely move
from one firm to another
• MDs/CEOs really hate this yet they are doing it
themselves
• There are some unscrupulous operators in the
recruitment sector fuelling this

10. Problem 6: London/New York
• The very best don’t stay
– This is both workers and firms
No cool jobs
No cool
employees
No cool clients
No cool
contracts
No cool
employers

11. KEY ISSUES IN THE AREAS WHERE
THE TALENT IS BEING CURATED

12. Talent Curation
• We have:
– Pile of big, great universities
– Pile of big, great colleges
– Pile of big, great apprenticeship programmes
– Pile of big, great training courses
• So we shouldn’t have any issues

13. Issues
• “They aren’t teaching them the right thing at
University/College”
• “They aren’t the kind of people we’re looking
for”
• “I can’t find the right apprentice”
• “I can’t afford the training course fees”
• “If I give them
training/education/development, they will
leave”

14. BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF
INITIATIVES

15. Uni Programmes
• The Fee Paradox and generic courses
• Digital is scary and hard
• Placements tend to be in blue chips
• It takes a bit of effort to get involved and keep
involved
• There are some students who should not be at
Uni

16. The ‘Best’ Paradox
• “I only want your best graduates” vs “I only
want to work for the best company”
Companies Graduates
The very best
‘Good enough’
for you?
‘Good enough’
for them?

17. Uni Placements/Internship
Programmes
• Experience
• Skills
• ‘Ready-to-work’
• And you know them

18. Digital/Social Media Apprenticeships
• Great idea
• Cherry-picking of candidates
• Seen by some as a backdoor entry
qualification for Uni
• Regarded as cannibalizing the route to Uni by
colleges/Displacement activity until time to go
to Uni

19. RISKS FACED BY BUSINESSES THAT DO
NOT RESPOND TO THE PROBLEM

20. Thinking it’s a Privilege to get a Job
• Not any more, not for millenials ever
• Remember the gap
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Vacancies
Candidates

21. How much does a degree cost?
• £27 - £36k plus living
– We work on the expense/lost earnings cost of a
degree £80k-£100k
• The questions grads ask:
– “Where were you when I needed help?”

22. I don’t need to get involved
• I don’t need to give a guest lecture
• I don’t need to mentor some kids who could do with a
professional exemplar
• I don’t need to offer some paid (at minimum wage
rates) part-time career-related work to a student
• I don’t need to offer a placement
• I don’t need to offer a project
• I don’t need to offer a busary
• I don’t need to offer a scholarship
• I don’t need to be on campus a lot

23. Sum it up: Your CTAs
• Don’t think about who you want to recruit this
summer
– Think about your needs in Summer 2015, 2016, 2017
and beyond.
• You have to start investing some time and (yes
I’m sorry) some money
• Think about choosing apprentices who would
never think about going to University
– Think of them as vehicles for social mobility and you
might surprise yourself

24. Connect with me
• Search “David Edmundson-Bird” on Google
– And Google+
• Look for me on LinkedIn
• See me as “groovegenerator” on Twitter